The National Football League playoffs for the 1989 season began on December 31, 1989. The postseason tournament concluded with the San Francisco 49ers defeating the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV, 55–10, on January 28, 1990, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
This was the last season in which the NFL used a 10-team playoff format. The league would expand the playoffs to 12 teams next season. This is also the last time in which two teams from the same division could not face each other in the Divisional Round.
This season featured only three teams that failed to make the previous season's postseason. The New York Giants, who were eliminated on the final day of the 1988 season, rebounded to win a division title, while the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers recovered from disappointing seasons.
Participants
Bracket
Schedule
The starting times for the Conference Championship Games were changed from the then-customary 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST to 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST. This was to accommodate the fact that the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers hosted the AFC and NFC Championship Games in the Mountain Time Zone and Pacific Time Zone, respectively—thus avoiding a locally played game at 9:30 a.m. PST or 10:30 a.m. MST. The NFL would keep this format heading forward to avoid any further scheduling conflicts.
In the United States, NBC broadcast the AFC playoff games, while CBS televised the NFC games and Super Bowl XXIV.
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:92%; text-align:center;"
! Away team !! Score !! Home team !! Date !! Kickoff<br />(ET / UTC–5) !! TV
|-
! colspan="6"|Wild Card playoffs
|-
| Los Angeles Rams || 21–7 || Philadelphia Eagles || December 31, 1989 || 12:30 p.m. || CBS
|-
| Pittsburgh Steelers || 26–23 || Houston Oilers || December 31, 1989 || 4:00 p.m. || NBC
|-
! colspan="6"|Divisional playoffs
|-
| Buffalo Bills || 30–34 || Cleveland Browns || January 6, 1990 || 12:30 p.m. || NBC
|-
| Minnesota Vikings || 13–41 || San Francisco 49ers || January 6, 1990 || 4:00 p.m. || CBS
|-
| Los Angeles Rams || 19–13 || New York Giants || January 7, 1990 || 12:30 p.m. || CBS
|-
| Pittsburgh Steelers || 23–24 || Denver Broncos || January 7, 1990 || 4:00 p.m. || NBC
|-
! colspan="6"|Conference Championships
|-
| Cleveland Browns || 21–37 || Denver Broncos || January 14, 1990 || 1:30 p.m. || NBC
|-
| Los Angeles Rams || 3–30 || San Francisco 49ers || January 14, 1990 || 5:00 p.m. || CBS
|-
! colspan="6"|Super Bowl XXIV<br /><small>Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana</small>
|-
| San Francisco 49ers || 55–10 || Denver Broncos || January 28, 1990 || 5:00 p.m. || CBS
|}
Wild Card playoffs
Sunday, December 31, 1989
NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Philadelphia Eagles 7
The Rams outgained the Eagles in total yards 409 to 306 and jumped to a 14-0 first half lead of the way to their first playoff win in four years.
LA scored on the opening drive, moving the ball 83 yards in five plays. Jim Everett finished the drive with a long pass to receiver Henry Ellard, who outjumped Izel Jenkins for the ball and raced 39 yards to the end zone. The next time the Rams had the ball, Everett's 30-yard completion to Ellard set up his 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Damone Johnson, giving the team a 14–0 lead less than eight minutes into the game. By the end of the first quarter, Everett had completed 7/11 passes for 173 yards, and at the end of the first half, the Eagles had a mere 77 total yards and three first downs. However, the Rams would blow several scoring chances that enabled the Eagles to stay in the game: Greg Bell lost a fumble on the Philadelphia 4-yard line, Everett threw an interception to Jenkins from the Eagles 25, and kicker Mike Lansford missed a 47-yard field goal.
Philadelphia's offense made a major improvement in the second half (229 yards and 11 first downs), but they would not score until 10:38 remained in the fourth quarter when fullback Anthony Toney capped an 80-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, cutting the score to 14–7. Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner then picked off a pass from Everett on the Philadelphia 30-yard line, giving the team a great chance to drive for the tying score. But they ended up punting at the end of an ugly series in which Heath Sherman fumbled after an 11-yard run (recovered by receiver Cris Carter), Randall Cunningham fumbled a snap (he recovered it), and then threw two incompletions. Los Angeles subsequently put the game away with an 84-yard, 7-play scoring drive. Everett kept it going on third and 5 with a 15-yard completion to running back Buford McGee, and then Bell took off for a 54-yard burst two plays later, moving the ball to the Eagles 10-yard line. Eventually, he finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run, making the final score 21–7.
"This year we wanted nothing short of the Super Bowl", said Eagles defensive tackle Mike Golic. "To lose the first game, a lot of people are going to be seriously bummed out for a long time. I'm disgusted."
Everett completed 18 of 33 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions. Ellard caught four passes for 87 yards and a score. Bell rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown, while also catching a 23-yard pass. Linebacker Kevin Greene had five tackles, two sacks, and a fumble recovery. Cunningham completed 24 of 40 passes for 238 yards with an interception, and rushed for 39 yards. Fullback Keith Byars was the Eagles top receiver with nine receptions for 68 yards.
This was the second postseason meeting between the Rams and Eagles. Philadelphia won the only previous meeting.
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|+
|-
!Philadelphia leads 1–0 in all-time playoff games
|-
|
|}
AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 26, Houston Oilers 23 ()
Pittsburgh cornerback Rod Woodson recovered a fumble to set up Gary Anderson's winning 50-yard field goal in overtime to give Pittsburgh the win.
Houston took the opening kickoff and drove to the Steelers 40-yard line, but were stopped there and Tony Zendejas missed a 55-yard field goal. Later in the quarter, Steelers rookie Jerry Olsavsky blocked a punt from Greg Montgomery and Pittsburgh recovered on the Oilers 23. Eventually facing fourth and 1 on the Houston 9-yard line, Steelers coach Chuck Noll decided to go for the first down. This paid off as running back Tim Worley took a pitch and ran all the way to the end zone, evading linebacker Robert Lyles and plowing right through safety Bubba McDowell on the way to a 7–0 Steelers lead with 2:36 left in the first quarter.
Houston responded on their next drive, moving the ball 96 yards to the Steelers 3-yard line, but could go no further and settled for a 26-yard Zendejas field goal. Then McDowell recovered a fumble from Worley on the Pittsburgh 41. From there the Oilers advanced to the 17-yard line, but when faced with fourth and 1 they decided to settle for another Zendejas field goal, cutting the score to 7–6. Pittsburgh struck back with a drive to the Oilers 9, featured a 49-yard run by Merril Hoge. However, they also ended up facing fourth and 1, and would settle for an Anderson field goal to put them up 10–6 going into halftime.
The field goal battle continued in the third quarter, with Zendejas kicking one more and Anderson adding another two, making the score 16–9 at the start of the fourth quarter. But quarterback Warren Moon finally got his team to the end zone with a 10-play, 80-yard drive to score on his 18-yard touchdown pass to Ernest Givins that tied the game. Following a Pittsburgh three-and-out, Harry Newsome's punt went just 25 yards to the Steelers 38-yard line. From there it took just five plays for Houston to take their first lead of the game, scoring on Moon's 9-yard pass touchdown pass to Givins that put them up 23–16 with 5:16 left in regulation. Starting from their own 18 after the kickoff, Pittsburgh drove 82 yards, featuring a 22-yard run by receiver Dwight Stone (the only time he touched the ball all game) on a reverse play, to score on Hoge's 2-yard touchdown run with 46 seconds left, tying the game and sending it into overtime.
Pittsburgh won the coin toss and received the ball first, but were quickly forced to punt, and another short kick from Newsome gave Houston the ball with great field position on the Steelers 45-yard line. On the Oilers first play, Moon handed the ball off to Lorenzo White, who was quickly leveled by Woodson and defensive end Tim Johnson, causing a fumble that Woodson recovered and returned four yards to the Oilers 46. From there, Pittsburgh could gain just 13 yards with a few Hoge carries before facing a fourth down. But it was enough for Anderson to kick a 50-yard field goal, his longest attempt of the season, which he sent perfectly through the uprights to give the Steelers the win.
Hoge finished the game with 100 rushing yards on just 17 carries, along with three receptions for 26 yards. Moon threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns. Givins caught 11 passes for 136 yards. Pittsburgh won despite being outgained in total yards 380–289. Oilers coach Jerry Glanville was fired a few days after this game. This was a particularly satisfying win for the Steelers, who had started the season with a 51–0 loss to Cleveland and a 41–10 loss to Cincinnati. They had been shutout three times, outgained by their opponents in ten consecutive games, and had to recover from a 4–6 record to get into the playoffs by winning five of their last six games.
This was the third postseason meeting between the Steelers and Oilers. Pittsburgh won both previous meetings. Buffalo responded with a drive to the Browns 40-yard line. But on a 4th and 1 conversion attempt, Cleveland defensive end Carl Hairston sacked Kelly to force a turnover on downs.
On the second drive of the second half, the first turnover of the game occurred when Mark Harper intercepted a pass from Kelly on the Cleveland 46. Kosar then hooked up with Slaughter for another touchdown pass, this one 44-yards, to increase their lead to 24–14. The Bills gave the ball up again on their next drive when Larry Kinnebrew lost a fumble that was recovered on the Browns 25-yard line by defensive back Felix Wright. But on the next play, they took it back as Fred Smerlas forced a fumble from Mack that was recovered by Bills safety Mark Kelso on the 26. A few plays later on 3rd and 8, Kelly completed a 15-yard pass to running back Thurman Thomas on the Browns 4-yard line, setting up his 6-yard touchdown pass to Thomas to make the score 24–21. But Browns running back Eric Metcalf returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to give his team a 31–21 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Buffalo responded by driving 67 yards, including a 27-yard completion from Kelly to Thomas, to score on Scott Norwood's 30-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 31–24. Cleveland struck back with a 51-yard drive to score a field goal of their own, a 46-yard kick by Bahr, retaking their two-score lead at 34–24 with 6:57 left in the game. Buffalo then drove 77 yards entirely on receptions by Thomas and fellow running back Ronnie Harmon, who hauled in a 22-yard catch on the Browns 3-yard line. On the next play, Kelly's 3-yard touchdown pass to Thomas cut their deficit to 34–30 with 3:56 left in regulation. But Scott Norwood slipped on an icy patch of the field while attempting the extra point, forcing the Bills to attempt to score a touchdown instead of a field goal on their final drive. After Buffalo's defense forced the Browns to go three-and-out, Kelly led the Bills to Cleveland's 11-yard line, converting two fourth downs on the way there. But Harmon dropped a potential game winning catch in the end zone and Kelly was intercepted by Matthews on the next play.
Metcalf finished with 169 all purpose yards. Thomas set a playoff record with 13 receptions for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also rushing for 27 yards.
This was the first postseason meeting between the Bills and Browns. Minnesota had led the NFL in sacks during the regular season with 72, but in this game Montana was not sacked at all.
Minnesota scored first on a 7.5 minute, 70-yard drive that ended with a 38-yard field goal by Rich Karlis, but then Montana completed four consecutive scores: a 72-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerry Rice, an 8-yarder to tight end Brent Jones, an 8-yarder to wide receiver John Taylor, and a 13-yarder to Rice. In the fourth quarter, Ronnie Lott returned an interception 58 yards for a touchdown, and Tim McKyer's 41-yard interception return set up their final score on Roger Craig's 4-yard run. The 49ers could have had an even bigger lead, but Mike Cofer missed two fields goals from distances of 31 and 32 yards, along with an extra point, while Craig lost an early fumble on the Minnesota 9-yard line.
The Vikings defense had not allowed a 100-yard rusher all season, but Craig reached triple digits on his first carry of the second half, and finished the game with 125 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Rice caught six passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns. One of the few bright spots of the game for Minnesota was tight end Steve Jordan, who caught nine passes for 149 yards.
This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Vikings and 49ers. San Francisco won two of the previous three meetings.
Brister completed 19/29 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown. Elway threw for 239 yards and a touchdown, with one interception, and rushed for 44 yards.
This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Steelers and Broncos. Pittsburgh won two of the previous three meetings.
Young finished the game with 123 yards and a touchdown on just two receptions. Johnson had seven catches for 93 yards. This was the third time in the last four years Denver defeated Cleveland in the AFC Championship Game. To date, this is Cleveland's most recent appearance in an AFC Championship game.
This was the third postseason meeting between the Browns and Broncos. Denver won both prior meetings.
Los Angeles took advantage of a 31-yard punt by Barry Helton that gave them a first down at midfield, driving to the 6 in 10 plays and scoring on Mike Lansford's 23-yard field goal. However, this would be their only score, and Helton would punt only once more during the game. They soon got another chance to score when 49ers tight end Brent Jones lost a fumble. Guard Guy McIntyre picked up the ball, but then fumbled it as well, and the ball was recovered by linebacker Larry Kelm. While the Rams had momentum at this point, it shifted to San Francisco's favor for good when safety Ronnie Lott batted down a pass intended for a wide open Anderson. Had Anderson made the catch, he would have scored easily, giving the Rams a 10–0 lead. Instead, the Rams ended up punting, and San Francisco stormed down the field on a 13-play, 89-yard scoring drive. Montana completed 5/6 passes for 67 yards on the possession, the last one a 20-yard touchdown completion to Jones 3:33 into the second quarter.
On LA's ensuing drive, Everett threw a pass that bounced off Ellard and Don Griffin before being intercepted by Tim McKyer, who returned the ball 27 yards to the Rams 27-yard line. Five plays later, Roger Craig increased the 49ers lead to 14–3 with a 1-yard touchdown run. Then after a Rams punt, Montana completed eight of 10 passes for 90 yards on a 14-play, 87-yard drive (which involved overcoming a 15-yard personal foul call against center Jesse Sapolu) to score on an 18-yard touchdown completion to John Taylor with nine seconds left in the half.
An 11-play, 62-yard drive that ended with a 28-yard Mike Cofer field goal increased the 49ers lead to 24–3 early in the third quarter. Cofer later missed a field goal after Lott picked off an Everett pass, but made a 36-yarder on the first play of the fourth quarter, and a 25-yard kick with 5:40 left in the game to make the final score 30–3.
Montana showed much precision and finished the game completing 26 of 30 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Fullback Tom Rathman rushed for 63 yards and caught six passes for 48 yards. Craig was the top rusher of the game with 94 yards and a touchdown, while also catching three passes for 40 yards.
The Rams did not qualify for the playoffs again in their original tenure in Los Angeles. After moving to St. Louis in 1995, it would take until 1999 for the Rams to return to the playoffs. After making the playoffs several times in St. Louis, most recently in 2004, the Rams again underwent a long playoff drought that extended into their first season back in Los Angeles in 2015.
This was the first postseason meeting between the Rams and 49ers as well as the second NFL playoff matchup between two California-based teams, following the Oakland Raiders' victory over the San Diego Chargers in the 1980 AFC Championship Game.